Legal archive:reviews of court practice concerning Narva apartment associations
This section contains analytical reviews and editorial summaries of publicly available court decisions concerning relations between apartment owners and apartment associations in Narva. The information has been prepared by the Žuk Kinnisvara team for informational purposes.
We explain complex legal acts in plain language. Our archive is continually updated.
We plan to add reviews of decisions of the Supreme Court of Estonia (Riigikohus) on important issues concerning relations between apartment owners and apartment associations.
Before making important legal decisions, always check the official status and full case text in the state register (Riigi Teataja / e-Toimik).
Subjects and subtopics ⌄
A subject describes the dispute; it does not establish a violation.
Narva linn, Kosmonaudi tn 9, Linda tn 7 korteriühistu · 80180884
Water and sewerageAllocation of water consumption and discrepanciesCalculation of water chargesMeters and readingsApartment association bills, payments and debtsDebt claimsBills and justification of chargesLate-payment interest and consequences of delay
Editorial summary
The apartment association NARVA UNISTUS did not prove grounds for allocating additional water costs to one owner. All monetary claims against defendant XX were dismissed.
Court refused recovery of charges for unaccounted-for water: the charge was not proved
Judgment · Viru Maakohus · First instance
KORTERIÜHISTU NARVA UNISTUS · 80180884
Entry into force has not been reverified
Participants and roles: Claimant KORTERIÜHISTU NARVA UNISTUS — sought debt and late-payment interest.; Defendant XX — challenged the additional water charge.
Editorial summary
The apartment association NARVA UNISTUS did not prove grounds for allocating additional water costs to one owner. All monetary claims against defendant XX were dismissed.
The dispute and the court’s decision
The association linked the debt to a meeting decision of 29 April 2013 charging one owner 300 euros for alleged unaccounted-for water consumption. It claimed that faulty plumbing allowed water to drip without being recorded by the meter. The defendant denied these allegations and challenged both the inspection reports and the calculation.
The initial claim sought 398,27 euros in debt, 51,67 euros in late-payment interest and further interest of 0,07% per day. At the hearing, the association sought 297,95 euros in principal and 130,03 euros in interest. The court found that the disputed balance related to the additional water charge, while the defendant had paid the other charges, which the claimant did not dispute.
To recover the money, the association had to prove the total water costs and the basis for allocating them among owners. Invoices and an approved report alone were insufficient. The total costs and allocation data were not submitted to the court. Nor did the meeting minutes explain why the 300 euros was charged only to the defendant. The court regarded the theory of collecting water drop by drop as speculative: the volume of such consumption had not been proved.
In its reasons, the court discussed the meeting decision’s conflict with the rules on allocating costs, but then stated that it could not establish the decision’s nullity — absence of legal effect from the time of adoption — because the defendant had not brought a separate claim within the time limit identified by the court. The operative part does not set aside the meeting decision: it dismisses all recovery claims.
Costs were allocated to the association. The court identified no costs reimbursable to the defendant and therefore awarded no specific sum to the defendant.
The judgment names the association as the apartment association NARVA UNISTUS (now — Narva linn, Kosmonaudi tn 9, Linda tn 7 korteriühistu).
Outcome of this decision
Dismiss all claims by the apartment association NARVA UNISTUS against defendant XX. Leave costs to the association; there are no costs reimbursable to the defendant.
Participants and roles: claimant and creditor — KÜ Tallinna mnt 15; defendant XX — person against whom sums were awarded
Editorial summary
The brief judgment gives the award and how to request the full text for appeal.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Tallinna mnt 15 (now — Narva linn, Tallinna mnt 15 korteriühistu). The court allowed KÜ Tallinna mnt 15’s claim against XX for management-charge debt and late-payment interest in simplified proceedings. The judgment contains the operative part and appeal instructions, but no account of the parties’ arguments or reasons assessing evidence. Principal, accrued late-payment interest and continuing late-payment interest of 0.07% per day on the unpaid portion of the principal amount specified in that condition from 2 October 2014 until payment were awarded. Costs and late-payment interest on them from entry into force were awarded at the relevant ECB main refinancing rate plus eight percentage points annually. Performance is not established. The court gave no separate permission to appeal but explained the possibility where significant manifest errors exist. Notice of an intention to appeal was required within ten days after service of the operative part; after supplementation, an appeal could be filed within 30 days after service of the full text. Supplementation and appeal are not established.
Outcome of this decision
Claim allowed; debt, late-payment interest and costs with late-payment interest awarded. Subsequent performance not established.
Puškini 19: management-cost arrears and continuing late-payment interest
Judgment · Viru Maakohus · First instance
Puškini tn üheksateist Korteriühistu · 80054978
Entry into force has not been reverified
Participants and roles: Claimant — Puškini tn üheksateist Korteriühistu; Defendant — XX
Editorial summary
The default judgment distinguishes management-cost arrears, continuing late-payment interest and late-payment interest on awarded procedural costs.
The dispute and the court’s decision
Puškini tn üheksateist Korteriühistu (now — Narva linn, A. Puškini tn 19 korteriühistu) brought a management-cost arrears claim against XX. The court granted the claim by default without a descriptive section or reasoning. The act does not set out scrutiny of individual charges or the defendant’s substantive objections.
Principal and accrued late-payment interest were awarded, together with further late-payment interest of 0.07% per day on unpaid principal from 27 March 2015 until payment. Procedural costs were imposed on XX: the association was awarded 419.00 euros in costs. Statutory late-payment interest under the second sentence of VÕS § 113(1) was also awarded on those costs, from the default judgment’s entry into force until performance. Principal, continuing late-payment interest and late-payment interest on costs have different bases and starting points.
The judgment is immediately enforceable without security. Public service through Ametlikud Teadaanded was ordered; the court stated that service is deemed effected 15 days after publication of the extract. The defendant may seek reopening by kaja within 30 days after learning of the judgment or enforcement proceedings. The claimant was informed of an appeal to Tartu Ringkonnakohus within 30 days after service, no later than five months after public announcement. Neither receipt of money nor subsequent review is established.
Outcome of this decision
Management-cost arrears, accrued late-payment interest and further late-payment interest of 0.07% per day from 27 March 2015 until unpaid principal is paid were awarded by default. Procedural costs of 419.00 euros and statutory late-payment interest on them from entry into force until performance were awarded. The judgment is immediately enforceable without security.
Narva linn, Joala tn 10, Joala tn 12 korteriühistu · 80180387
Apartment association bills, payments and debtsDebt claimsInstalments and payment schedulesPayment accounting and set-offLate-payment interest and consequences of delay
Editorial summary
Two defendants agreed to repay a debt; the settlement set the priority of current costs and consequences of two consecutive missed instalments.
Joala 10/12: instalments and priority of current payments
Court order · Viru Maakohus · First instance
KÜ Joala 10/12 · 80180387
Entry into force has not been reverified
Participants and roles: Claimant — KÜ Joala 10/12; Two defendants — XX
Editorial summary
Two defendants agreed to repay a debt; the settlement set the priority of current costs and consequences of two consecutive missed instalments.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Joala 10/12 (now — Narva linn, Joala tn 10, Joala tn 12 korteriühistu) brought a debt claim against two persons XX. The participants agreed the debt, monthly instalments and reimbursement of 300 euros in the association’s procedural costs. The court approved the settlement and terminated proceedings.
Current management costs must be paid on time. If a payment is insufficient for both current costs and an instalment, current costs are covered first and the instalment afterwards. Failure to pay two consecutive instalments on time allows the association to withdraw from the settlement and seek debt recovery through a bailiff; after withdrawal, late-payment interest may be reinstated and recovered in enforcement proceedings. The text does not establish joint and several liability of the two defendants.
Costs follow the settlement, and the defendants retain their own costs. After the order’s entry into force, the association is to receive a refund of 100* euros, half the state fee. The settlement excludes an interlocutory appeal; a separate section of the act also states a 15-day appeal period after service, with an outer limit of five months after the order. Actual performance or receipt of the refund is not established.
Outcome of this decision
The settlement was approved and proceedings terminated. Two consecutive overdue instalments allow the association to withdraw and begin recovery with reinstated late-payment interest. Current costs take priority over instalments. Refund 100* euros in state fees to the association after the order’s entry into force.
Participants and roles: claimant — KORTERIÜHISTU RAHU 28, sought debt; defendant XX — personally received the claim
Editorial summary
Claim decided by default after personal service and failure to respond.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KORTERIÜHISTU RAHU 28 (now — Narva linn, Rahu tn 28 korteriühistu). KORTERIÜHISTU RAHU 28 claimed debt and late-payment interest from XX. Claim documents were served personally; the court entered default judgment for failure to respond, without descriptive or reasoning sections. Detailed circumstances of the charges and substantive objections are not given. Debt, accrued late-payment interest and 308 euros in costs were awarded: a 200-euro fee and 108 euros in legal costs. No continuing late-payment interest was awarded in the operative part. The judgment is immediately enforceable; this does not establish actual receipt of the award.
Outcome of this decision
Debt, late-payment interest and 308 euros in costs awarded by default; judgment immediately enforceable.
Participants and roles: claimant — KÜ Rahu-Sõprus 20, sought debt and late-payment interest; defendant XX — did not respond to the served claim
Editorial summary
The court decided the claim after no response to the served documents.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Rahu-Sõprus 20 (now — Narva linn, Rahu tn 20 korteriühistu). KÜ Rahu-Sõprus 20 claimed management-charge debt and late-payment interest from XX. No timely response was made to the served claim documents. The court allowed the claim by default without descriptive or reasoning sections. The judgment gives no detailed calculation of individual services or substantive objections. Principal, accrued late-payment interest and 233 euros in costs were awarded: a 125-euro fee and 108 euros in legal costs. The judgment is immediately enforceable without security; no continuing late-payment interest was awarded in the operative part. Actual performance is not established.
Outcome of this decision
Debt, late-payment interest and 233 euros in costs awarded by default; judgment immediately enforceable.
Tiimani 6: default judgment on debt and late-payment interest
Judgment · Viru Maakohus · First instance
KORTERIÜHISTU TIIMANI 6 · 80175334
Entry into force has not been reverified
Participants and roles: Claimant — KORTERIÜHISTU TIIMANI 6; Defendant — XX
Editorial summary
The court granted the association’s debt and late-payment interest claim by default.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KORTERIÜHISTU TIIMANI 6 (now — Narva linn, Soldina tn 6 korteriühistu) brought a debt and late-payment interest claim against XX. The claim documents had been served and a default judgment was entered for failure to respond. The act contains no descriptive section or reasoning; it does not set out the basis of individual charges or the defendant’s substantive objections.
The court granted the claim, awarded principal and late-payment interest, imposed all procedural costs on XX and separately awarded 225 euros in procedural costs. The judgment is immediately enforceable; this does not establish actual receipt of money.
The defendant may apply to reopen proceedings by kaja within 30 days after service; in the case of public service, the deadline depends on learning of the judgment or enforcement. The claimant was informed of an appeal to Tartu Ringkonnakohus within 30 days after service, no later than five months after public announcement. No subsequent acts are established by this source.
Outcome of this decision
The claim was granted by default: principal, late-payment interest and 225 euros in costs were awarded; XX bears the procedural costs. The judgment is immediately enforceable; actual enforcement or the result of a subsequent review is not established.
Participants and roles: Claimant — KÜ Tiimani 6; Defendant — XX
Editorial summary
The association claimed a debt; the court granted the claim by default without a descriptive section or reasoning.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Tiimani 6 (now — Narva linn, Soldina tn 6 korteriühistu) sought payment of a debt from XX. After service of the claim documents, the court entered a default judgment under the rule on failure to submit a response. The judgment contains no descriptive section or reasoning; it does not disclose the particular charges making up the debt or the defendant’s objections.
The claim was granted: principal and late-payment interest were awarded. All procedural costs were imposed on XX; the association was separately awarded its paid state fee of 255 euros. The judgment is immediately enforceable without security, but actual receipt of money is not established.
The defendant was informed of kaja, an application to reopen proceedings following a default judgment: the deadline is 30 days after service or, for public service, after learning of the judgment or enforcement proceedings. The claimant was informed of an appeal to Tartu Ringkonnakohus within 30 days after service, no later than five months after public announcement. The outcome of any subsequent review is unknown.
Outcome of this decision
Principal, late-payment interest and a 255-euro state fee were awarded by default; XX bears the costs. The judgment is immediately enforceable without security. Subsequent enforcement or review is not established.
Participants and roles: claimant and settlement creditor — KÜ Kreenholmi 30; defendant XX — accepted the payment schedule
Editorial summary
The settlement distinguishes reimbursement of costs from a state-budget fee refund.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Kreenholmi 30 (now — Narva linn, Kreenholmi tn 30 korteriühistu). The court approved a settlement between KÜ Kreenholmi 30 and XX for monthly payment over nine months of debt, late-payment interest and agreed costs, and terminated proceedings. The settlement includes 108 euros in legal costs and 125 euros representing half the state fee. Late payment of an instalment permits enforcement; that condition adds no further late-payment interest rate. The general costs clause places half the fee, 125 euros, on XX and leaves other costs with the parties. Separately, a state-budget refund is ordered to the association in the amount of 125 euros from its 250-euro fee. Reimbursement by the defendant and the budget refund are distinct obligations. The appeal period was reduced to three days after service. Performance is not established.
Outcome of this decision
Settlement approved and proceedings terminated; an overdue instalment permits enforcement.
Apartment association bills, payments and debtsDebt claimsLate-payment interest and consequences of delayBills and justification of chargesPayment accounting and set-offObligations of multiple owners
Latest prepared act · · № 2-13-21554/80
Editorial summary
The court added reasons to its earlier refusal to award Harjaks Inkasso OÜ money against two defendants XX. It found payment of the debt to the association proved.
Acts in this casePrepared acts: 1 · Unprepared stages: 1
Supplemented judgment explained rejection of a debt collector’s claim: the earlier debt had been paid
Judgment · Viru Maakohus · First instance
Harjaks Inkasso OÜ · KÜ Nartall 18 · 12341373 ·
Entry into force has not been reverified
Participants and roles: Claimant Harjaks Inkasso OÜ — acquirer of the claim.; Two defendants XX — owners from whom a common amount was sought.; Apartment association Nartall 18 — previous creditor, not a party to this claim.
Editorial summary
The court added reasons to its earlier refusal to award Harjaks Inkasso OÜ money against two defendants XX. It found payment of the debt to the association proved.
The dispute and the court’s decision
Harjaks Inkasso OÜ, which had acquired a claim from the apartment association Nartall 18, sought to recover 1 306,52 euros jointly and severally from two owners: 722,44 euros in principal and 584,08 euros in late-payment interest, together with further interest of 0,07% per day from 1 August 2013, capped at the principal. One defendant disputed the calculation and submitted invoices and payment certificates. The second did not respond to the claim.
The court refused to enter a default judgment solely against the second defendant: in this dispute, the existence and amount of the common debt had to be determined jointly for both.
The court interpreted the first defendant’s written acknowledgement as confirming an existing debt rather than creating a new independent obligation. The debtor could therefore challenge it without a separate counterclaim. The court found the assignment to the debt collector proved, but that did not exclude objections available against the previous creditor.
The claimant’s calculation differed from the association’s invoices. The court found it proved that the debt had been paid by 13 June 2014. It did not accept in full another certificate stating there had been no debt throughout the period since 2010, because other documents confirmed the earlier debt. Nevertheless, the particular claim and interest sought could not be granted.
The claim had already been dismissed in a short judgment on 23 October 2014. After the claimant announced an intention to appeal, the court added a factual description and reasons while maintaining full dismissal. Costs were left to the debt collector. The court corrected the value of the claim from 1 444,88 euros to 1 491,10 euros; this is a procedural valuation, not an award of money.
Outcome of this decision
Supplement the judgment of 23 October 2014 with a factual description and reasons. Dismiss Harjaks Inkasso OÜ’s claim against the two defendants for joint and several debt and late-payment interest. Leave costs to the claimant; correct the claim value to 1 491,10 euros.
Not prepared yet
· Case 2-13-21554 · Viru Maakohus · First instance
Participants and roles: claimant and creditor — KÜ Narva Energia 5; defendant XX — subject of the award and public service
Editorial summary
The judgment discloses the monetary outcome but not the specific charges.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Narva Energia 5 (now — Narva linn, Energia tn 5 korteriühistu). KÜ Narva Energia 5 claimed debt and late-payment interest from XX. Claim documents were served publicly through Ametlikud Teadaanded. The court allowed the claim by default without descriptive or reasoning sections: specific charges and substantive objections are not disclosed. Principal, late-payment interest and fees for the payment-order and claim stages were awarded, with costs imposed on XX. The judgment is immediately enforceable without security. The court ordered public service of the operative part and appeal instructions. This does not establish subsequent publication or payment of the award.
Outcome of this decision
Debt and late-payment interest awarded by default; judgment immediately enforceable and public service ordered.
Participants and roles: claimant and creditor — KÜ Rakvere 89 Narva; defendant XX — acknowledged the debt and schedule
Editorial summary
XX agreed on instalments and a late-payment interest condition.
The dispute and the court’s decision
KÜ Rakvere 89 Narva (now — Narva linn, Rakvere tn 89 korteriühistu). The court approved a settlement between KÜ Rakvere 89 Narva and XX on acknowledged debt and terminated proceedings. Monthly instalments over six months and separate timely payment of current bills were agreed. Late payment of principal attracts late-payment interest of 0.07% per day on the unpaid portion. The association’s costs are reimbursed separately by the agreed deadline. The court found the settlement lawful and enforceable. Each party bears other costs; no further costs were separately awarded. The appeal period was reduced to three days after service. Subsequent performance is not established.
Outcome of this decision
Settlement approved and proceedings terminated; current bills and costs are payable separately.